As much of the world watched the Olympics taking place here in Canada, so did I.  I can't say I was glued to my TV, but like most good Canadians I cheered our Hockey Team on to victory and watched with pride as Canada had a spotlight for a brief moment in time.  Have you noticed how full of music these events are?  It's the language that can be understood across borders.  I was struck with this again as I was looking (in amazement) to see where in the world people were clicking my music website.  I would expect hits from English nations like Canada, the US and UK.  Also, with a few reviews in Netherlands I have some readers and listeners there.  They are #3 in purchasing my CD.   But in one day alone I also had people from Russia, Brazil, China, Korea, Australia, Thailand, Israel, France, Poland, Germany, Taiwan, Italy, Ireland, Iran, Japan...and the list goes on!  Music is the worldwide language.  Welcome world, I am humbled.  Please tell me what you like and what you would like to hear more of.  I may not know your language, or be able to travel to all your countries (although I'm open to invitations...:) but I'm open to ideas on how we can connect.  Thank you for listening.

- Jason Paul Johnston
www.jasonpauljohnston.com

 I'm happy to announce that music blogger "Half Hearted Dude" has named "Willows Motel" one of the top albums of 2009.  Click here to see his blog and complete list.  I feel privileged and humbled to be listed beside so many great musicians that I love like Wilco, Ben Kweller, Elvis Perkins, Neko Case, Grizzly Bear and M. Ward.  Thanks half-hearted-dude!  

The song "Lowville" on my album "Willows Motel" was inspired by a physical place but the lyrics themselves came from a secret space I'm always reluctant to share about.  First, the physical.  Driving down the QEW highway here in Southern Ontario, I passed a sign for the "Lowville Golf Course" which I had never been to.  (Not much of a golfer).  Immediately the first line came to me, "Welcome to Lowville...Come say hello to all my friends down here."  I didn't have anything to record the idea down onto at the time, and so I sung it all the way home, pulled out my guitar right away when I got back and started to fill in the blanks.

I've since traveled through the quaint town of Lowville and have actually met some people who lived there.  Seems like a nice place to be, nothing like the song.  So now we get to the question of song meaning.  This drives my wife nuts, but when people ask what a song means I often defer and ask the question back,"More importantly, what does it mean to you?"  I'm not trying to get all artsy, I would just hate to limit the impact of a song by my narrow view of it.  I believe it's more important how people connect to the songs than what my original purpose was.  

The other part of this is my reluctance to self exposure. (Side note:  See song "Anyone Inside") I had a teacher give some wise words one day, "Don't get naked in front of just anyone - there are people out there who will tear you to shreds."  One beautiful aspect of music, lyrics and art in general is that the artist can express very personal experiences without exposing details.  I feel some safety in that.

All that being said, I have now travelled some distance since I wrote this song, which is really an allegory for a period of significant depression.  It's something I've struggled with on and off most of my life.  People say that when you are wrapped up in the whole artist thing, it's just part of the package. Well, it certainly is no gift.  My Dr. called it a low level Dysthymia - always under the surface and often brought to the foreground by circumstances, major life change, stress, seasonal changes...God knows what else.  Some would say the labeling makes it more real, more alive and more of a focus.  I say, at least it puts it on the table for discussion.  I say talking about it, getting it out there with a few people who care, especially the ones it affects, makes an enormous difference in the end.  

Making this album was my best therapy.  I had considered calling it "Welcome to Lowville."  Most of the songs deal with depression directly or indirectly, but in the end the title didn't paint the entire picture.  There is also hope. For me, the shadow is not gone but circumstances have changed and it's managed.  And my wish, if you are listening, is that you listen to that theme of hope as well.  It's not common for me to tear a page out of the diary for the general public like this, but maybe it will help someone else who has visited this town as well.

----
Lowville
© 2006 Jason Paul Johnston
Welcome to Lowville. Come say hello to all my friends down here.
No high places. Only long faces, stretched out by the years.
They call me the mayor. I may or may not be all they had in mind.
But I fit the profile. And I've stuffed the ballot box with notes in kind.

Lowville: Nothing but down is in this town
Lowville: So nothing but up can take us out
Lowville: I just don't want to go
It's no-ville: Nowhere for a family to call home

Here's my brother Sorrow. He's got a lot to talk about today.
And my sis Suffer. She lived in Hell, so this is an upgrade...
There's something about it. Something about this town that I can't place.
We've got all the heroes. But we've never held a victory parade...

Oh...I don't want to go. Oh my darling oh, but I know..the boat it leaves port tomorrow and I should at least show up long enough to wave.
But I've built my life here and all it's troubles and I've even purchased my grave...Lowville, Lowville.

Cause this is my home still. It's all that I've known and all I have today
I'll raise some children. But I'll pray they find the grace to get away... 

Jason Paul Johnston is pleased to have a track on the Christmas Album, "Christmas Spirit Vol.1" released Dec.1st, 2009

The track is "The Friendly Beasts," a traditional Christmas featuring Jason on vocals, lap dulcimer and guitars.  Supporting tracks have Jordan Fox on Banjo and Jason's 16 month old twins, Jana & Luke on Animal sounds. Also joining Jason on the album are fellow Rarebird Records artists terns and a variety of musicians from across Canada.

The album was compiled by Revolution Audio, inspired by the local business association's campaign "Twas the Bite Before Christmas."  

All pay-what-you-can proceeds will go to local Mississauga Food banks, so please chip in and help a good cause.
 

Click here for pay-what-you-can instant download in high quality audio at bandcamp.com (this album is currenly only available as a download)

My banjo player,  Al Penrose, sent me an e-mail with the subject line "Now Look What You've Done..."  Inside was a link to an article talking about the Kudzu vines invading Canada for the first time just this year.  

Track number #7 on my album, Willows Motel, is called Vines.  It was inspired by these Japanese vines called Kudzu (pronounced in the South more like "Cut-zoo") that were brought into the Southern USA in 1876 as a new crop to feed animals (or to stop erosion as I've heard it told).  Unfortunately, they didn't have any natural predators and so they have taken over.  As you drive down the I-75 through Kentucky and Tennessee, you can see them covering hills, fields and even trees thirty feet high.  They can grow a foot a day and have been called "The vine that ate the South."  You can see a picture of some dormant Kudzo that have taken over a well house near some family of mine in eastern Kentucky.  

Here are the lyrics to my song below.  Currently, you can listen to it as the first track on the player at the bottom of my website. (click here if you are reading this outside of my site)

 Vines
© 2006 Jason Paul Johnston
Creeping around the corners, growing around the bends. It has no friends. No friends.
Cutting off all my systems, blocking the sun again. It never gives, only lends.

Vines, vines, shadowing vines with arms intertwined they cover all that they find.
They suck up the water cause I water them so, they grow and they grow and they grow.
They keep holding on until they are long dead, long after the ground, dries them instead
of giving to them, it now robs them of life, til they die and they die and they die.

Tapping upon my window, scratching on the glass so thin: They're closing in, closing in.
Stretching out their arms to heaven, branching out to root me in and my concern keeps deepening...

Wedging through every crevice, pulling apart the brick: They tend to stick, tend to stick
Crumbling out foundations, setting this house a tilt: Tearing down what's been built, tearing down all we build

And it lives and it breathes and it's choking out me
And it grows and expands and it takes over my land
As it sponges the moisture and dries up the ground
And it never gives up, no I'm never alone...
And it's green and it's life and it's bigger than I
But it reminds me I feel, it convinces me well
And it's shade from the sun, as long as it lives
Yes it is, yes it is, yes it is...
-----
Now for the first time Kudzu has been discovered across the Canadian border.  Although I've been trying to warn everyone for a while, I swear it was not my fault...

 Check out my new video upload of a country-fried version of Radiohead's "High and Dry."  Video taken Sept. 9th, 2009 at the Moonshine Cafe, Oakville, On. With help from Will Snodgrass on drums, Greg Andrews on Bass, Al Penrose on banjo and Dianne Oliveira on backup vocals.  Thanks also to Will for the audio track off his hand held recorder.

Click here to view the video "High and Dry" a Radiohead cover by Jason Paul Johnston

Two more reviews of the Willows Motel CD in online Dutch music sites, one in the Netherlands and one in Belgium.  Both in Dutch again, so here are the links with the approximate google translations.  The altcountry.nl site is more understandable than the other in the translation, but you'll get the idea if interested.

www.altcountry.nl review of Willows Motel by John Gjaltema - 4 out of 5 stars

www.rootstime.be review of Willows Motel by Freddy Celis

 I just had my song "Vines" featured on the Freight Train Boogie podcast #38 - click here for the podcast - The current #38 podcast also features a number of other great artists  - see the full list below.  Thanks, Freight Train!

SAM BAKER – Cotton Cotton
THE CORDUROY ROAD – The Tree Bends Love Is A War
ANGELA EASTERLING – One Microphone Blacktop Road
8 BALL AITKEN – Cowboy Movie Rebel With A Cause
PORTERDAVIS - Carter’s Tune Porterdavis
RITA HOSKING - Precious Little Come Sunrise
JASON PAUL JOHNSTON - Vines / Willows Motel
SAM BAKER – Mennonite / Cotton
THE GIVING TREE BAND – Peace On The Mountain Great Possessions
BEARFOOT – Heaven Doors & Windows
THE KIERAN RIDGE BAND

 Spreek jij Nederlands? I just got my first Dutch review of my new album at www.altcountryforum.nl if you don't happen to speak Dutch, you can give this Google translation a try by clicking here for an Online English Translation.   It is still not perfect but the author said it at least got the idea.  I sent him another auto-translation that he said was horrible.  It was quite funny as the phrase Google translated  "This is a product created by musicians who have only inspired by fun." which is awkward but understandable, this other translated, "This a product has been made by muzikanten whom itself exclusively have let lead by game pleasure."  That's going on my next press release under the heading "I'm Huge in the Netherlands."

 
Nice review by Janet Goodman, writing for Music News Nashville.  The review is hard to link to at the main site and so here's Janet's blog where you can read the full review if you wish.  Click here for the review Thanks Janet!  (this is the link to the main page at Music News Nashville published by Dan Harr if you want to check that out)